Since 1 July 2024, engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs have been banned across Australia, including in South Australia. The ban is a worker-safety measure: cutting, grinding and polishing engineered stone releases respirable crystalline silica dust, which causes silicosis, an irreversible lung disease. Kitchen Fox does not supply or install engineered stone. This page explains what the ban covers, what is still legal, and the benchtop alternatives we install instead.
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What the ban covers
Under the national Work Health and Safety laws (in South Australia, the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA)), the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs is prohibited from 1 July 2024.
For the purposes of the ban, “engineered stone” is an artificial product that:
- contains 1% or more crystalline silica (by weight), and
- is made by combining natural stone materials with other ingredients such as water, resins or pigments, and
- becomes hardened.
That means products marketed as “low-silica” engineered stone are banned too. A lower silica percentage does not take a product outside the ban unless the crystalline silica content is under 1%. Quartz-composite benchtops — the product most Australians knew as “quartz” or “reconstituted stone” — are engineered stone and cannot be supplied or installed in new work.
What is not covered by the ban
Safe Work Australia’s definition excludes, among other things:
- Natural stone benchtops, panels and slabs — granite, marble and other quarried stone.
- Porcelain products, where they do not contain resin.
- Sintered stone, where it does not contain resin.
- Ceramic wall and floor tiles, concrete and cement products, bricks and pavers, roof tiles, grout, mortar, render and plasterboard.
Artificial surfaces with less than 1% crystalline silica fall outside the definition of engineered stone. Several manufacturers now sell surfaces formulated this way — on this site we call them silica-free engineered surfaces. Before ordering one, we check the supplier’s documentation for the product’s crystalline silica content.
Non-stone benchtop materials such as laminate, timber, stainless steel and solid surface (acrylic) are not engineered stone either.
Existing engineered stone in your home
The ban does not require anyone to remove engineered stone that is already installed. Under the regulations, repair, minor modification, removal and disposal of engineered stone that was installed before the ban (“legacy” engineered stone) is still allowed, but only with strict dust controls. In South Australia, a business that processes legacy engineered stone (for example, cutting it during a repair or removal) must notify SafeWork SA before the work starts.
If your renovation involves removing an existing engineered stone benchtop, ask how the removal will be done and whether any cutting is involved. Lifting a benchtop out whole generates far less dust than cutting it in place.
What we install instead
- Porcelain. Large-format slabs, heat-resistant and UV-stable, so suitable for outdoor kitchens too.
- Sintered stone. Very hard-wearing and heat-resistant. A premium option.
- Natural stone. Granite for durability; marble for veining and character (it etches and needs sealing).
- Silica-free engineered surfaces. Products with less than 1% crystalline silica, checked against the supplier’s documentation before we order.
- Laminate, timber and solid surface. Budget-friendly or warmer-looking options where stone isn’t needed.
See stone benchtops for price bands and the stone benchtops buyer’s guide for a material-by-material comparison.
Safe fabrication still matters
Natural stone, porcelain and sintered stone can also contain crystalline silica, so cutting any stone product needs proper controls. Safe Work Australia’s guidance for working with silica-containing materials includes water suppression or on-tool dust extraction when cutting, suitable respiratory protection, and keeping dust out of shared areas. Ask whoever is fabricating and installing your benchtop how cut-outs and on-site adjustments will be done. Doing as much cutting as possible in the workshop, with water suppression, keeps dust out of your home.
What this means for your renovation
- You still have plenty of choice. Porcelain, sintered stone, natural stone and silica-free engineered surfaces cover most looks people used to get from engineered stone.
- Be wary of “low-silica” offers. If someone quotes a “low-silica” engineered stone benchtop for a new install, that product is banned. Ask for the product name and its crystalline silica documentation.
- Existing benchtops can stay. Engineered stone already in your kitchen is legal to keep and use. Repairs and removal need to be done under the dust-control rules.
Frequently asked questions
Is engineered stone banned in Australia?
Yes. From 1 July 2024, the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs is prohibited nationally, including in South Australia. The ban applies to any engineered stone with 1% or more crystalline silica.
Is “low-silica” engineered stone allowed?
No. Low-silica products are still engineered stone if they contain 1% or more crystalline silica, so they are covered by the ban. Only artificial surfaces with less than 1% crystalline silica fall outside the definition.
Is quartz the same as engineered stone?
In Australian kitchens, “quartz” benchtops are usually quartz-composite engineered stone, which is banned for new installs. Ask your supplier exactly what the product is and for its crystalline silica content.
Can I get my existing engineered stone repaired?
Repair and minor modification of engineered stone installed before the ban is allowed, with strict dust controls. In South Australia, the business doing the work must notify SafeWork SA before processing it. Many repairs (such as filling a small chip) involve no cutting at all.
What’s the closest alternative to the look of engineered stone?
Porcelain slabs and silica-free engineered surfaces come in a wide range of marble-look and plain finishes. Sintered stone is a harder-wearing premium option, and granite suits buyers who want natural stone.
Is porcelain better than engineered stone?
For a new kitchen the question is now porcelain versus the other legal options. Porcelain is heat-resistant, UV-stable and stain-resistant, but thinner slabs can chip at edges, so edge profile matters. We talk through the trade-offs for your kitchen at the consultation.
Where can I read the rules myself?
Safe Work Australia (safeworkaustralia.gov.au, search “engineered stone ban”) and SafeWork SA (safework.sa.gov.au) publish the official guidance, including the full definition and the rules for legacy engineered stone.